Ghosts
by Nightmare Asylum
Summary: Harry's entire world view is about to change when he goes looking for the room of requirement and stumbles upon the Ark instead. For now the two wars remain separate, but how long can that last with wizards involved? The Earl never could help interfering with Death. OotP, Cannon divergent, not yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I am pretty sure I could turn this into a multi chapter fan fiction, and I think I shall if either enough people want me too, or I am inspired enough to do so. There is a bigger story here.

Ghosts

Harry moved down the twisted hallways at a furious pace, too enraged to go back to his dorm and study like a good little Griffendor. His hand throbbed with every heartbeat, making him constantly aware of the words carved into his skin. It felt like a brand, another scar that made his different and forced him apart from the crowds of people.

_Does this one make me insane too?_ he thought venomously.

He rounded another bend, blind to the cheery sunlight pouring through the windows. He was almost angry at the sun for daring to shine when he was in such a black mood. He felt like it should be midnight, or that the sky should be bruised purple with the boiling clouds of a storm. The enraged teenager finally walked off enough nervous energy and came to a stop in a hall of windows that was curiously devoid of statue or painting. He was grateful for that. He didn't want to hear enchanted art whisper about him while he was trying to relax and calm down.

Not for the first time, he found himself wishing that his parents had stayed behind as ghosts, like Nearly-Headless Nick. It was a selfish wish, and he didn't think that given the actual opportunity he would pull his parents back from their well-earned afterlife, but it was one her often entertained when he needed to spin out a fantasy to relax in.

His heart beat slowed from its furious pumping, and his burning sleep starved eyes slipped closed. Nowadays he only felt truly calm when he was completely alone. Umbridge, the ministry's blind denial when they could actually do something, Dumbledore's avoidance… they all made for serious fuels to his anger and he could barely stand being around his friends when he felt like a ticking time bomb. He knew they were good friends, especially when sticking by him was poor for their health or their grades, and probably even their emotional wellbeing. He didn't _want_ to be angry all the time, but then, anger was easier to loose himself to than the crushing despair and betrayal he felt all the time.

A small pessimistic side of him sometimes just whispered to him that he should give up. It told him it would be so much easier to break than to keep holding onto everything around him. After all, then they'd all get exactly what they deserved when Voldemort finally decided to show himself.

But he couldn't think like that. Death was _not_ an answer for him. He laughed dryly. With his luck he'd come back a ghost and be exactly where he started, only having to deal with accusing stares and yet more loneliness and depression.

Harry opened his eyes and pushed his glasses up his nose. He stared down at the green rolling lawns below him and the tiny specks of people bundled up and playing near the lake for their short Indian summer. It felt weird seeing happiness when the world felt like it was going to shite. But at least seeing it provided proof that the world didn't revolve around him. Apparently anger made him rather self-absorbed. He could make excuses, and they might even be good ones, but at that moment he was incredibly aware that he needed to get his emotions under control and stop raging at things he couldn't change.

He didn't want to though. He wanted to rage and whine and act like any teenager on the planet. He was only fifteen for crying out loud! But that was only another excuse. His childhood had died that night in the graveyard, right along with Cedric. There was no more time to waste. He had to _do_ something. _Anything. _But what could he do?

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by a chill breeze blowing passed him, signifying the arrival of a ghost. He turned, half interested, half annoyed, and spotted an apparition he had never seen before. It was an oddly shifting, thing with round white eyes and a jagged smile. It appeared almost two dimensional as it glided through the halls, searching. It body was full of buzzing insane movements of black swirls. Behind the thing there walked a small white haired child with one sleeve empty, almost two dimensional and barely casting a shadow.

The child had the same round, white eyes surrounded by darkness, but looked almost lost. It was a strangely sad sight. Harry watched the kid cry out silently, over and over again, blind to the world as he brought cold and sadness to it.

Harry was drawn to the ghosts (what else could they possibly be? Surely nothing dangerous would be in the school without professor Dumbledore knowing, right?) and soon found himself following them down the halls and passed strangely frozen and silent paintings. Dimly, as if from an entirely different world, he could hear the haunting melody of piano music. Music had never moved him to tears before, but this half heard tune was nearly enough to set him choking on the grief in it.

The taller ghost with jagged smile passed through a wall abruptly, and the small child stopped before it, for the first time aware of the world around him. He looked back at Harry with an almost expectant look on his simple face before pacing three times before the place the other ghost had vanished, and slipping through the door that had appeared.

Harry jolted in surprise and darted forward, almost expecting the door to vanish right along with the ghost's. instead he found himself in a gigantic, pale room, that was so blindingly white it took several minutes for his eyes to adjust. The windows in the room were tall and looked out on a white city like what one might expect find near the sea, and inside there was a mirror (inside of which the ghost with the jagged smile stood) a couch, and a white grand piano.

Sitting at the piano there was an old man covered in bandages, playing the tune from earlier, almost absently. One of his hands was black and scaly with claw like fingers and a glowing green crucifix on its back.

Harry stood frozen, watching the old man play and feeling as if he was interrupting something sacred then entire time. He finally managed to move back towards the door, but accidently collided with it instead of slipping quietly through like he'd intended. The old man turned to reveal a surprisingly young, scarred face (_he's not an old man at all_) and then Harry was back outside the room and the door was fading swiftly from view.

Harry stayed where he'd fallen for several long minutes, clutching at his heart before realizing exactly where he stood.

_Was that the room of requirement?_

Harry knew what he needed to do, quite suddenly, but he felt very sure he wouldn't be following any more ghosts.


	2. Chapter 2

Ghosts

Come to think of it now, Harry really should have known better. He tried often to bring back the room from the room of requirement, but all he usually managed was white versions of other places he'd been in his life time. Grimmuald Place, the common room. Various class rooms, the Dursley's house, Mrs. Figs stuffy living room (which was eerily missing all sign of cats). It seemed like that one particular room was as stubborn as he was because no matter what he tried he couldn't bring it into being.

It was the last day before the end of term, and Harry had all but given up in pure frustration that he saw the ghost's again. And, to his surprise, so did Ron.

They'd been taking a shortcut near the room when his taller red haired friend stopped dead in his tracks and gaped. Harry turned to look and crashed into him when he saw the ghost with the jagged smile grinning at him from the window.

"Honestly!" Hermione huffed. "You two could both pay more attention where… your… going?"

Apparently she had spotted it as well.

"Is that what you were talking about Harry? Bloody hell, that doesn't look like any ghost I've ever seen!"

Harry pulled himself away from his best mate and dashed toward the window, single minded, as usual. He could hear the music again. He was dimly aware of Hermione commenting on it to Ron before she shouted at him.

"Harry come back! You have no idea who that is? What if the ghost is cursed? The last specter to come to Hogwarts was _Voldemort!_ Harry?"

And then he heard two sets of feet running after him. The ghost waited patiently for him to get within feet of the window (what exactly _was_ he planning to do with a ghost anyway?) when it vanished. He could have sworn he heard laughter. Then he was suddenly sure, if he could just make it to the room of requirement, he would find the white room with the piano once more. He could hear it in the music calling out.

"Follow me," he said, skidding to a halt and turning to his friends. Hermione (and Ron as well for a change) looked wary.

"Harry… but… shouldn't we go to professor Dumbledore or McGonagall?"

"I know we usually handle this stuff by ourselves mate, but that really doesn't look like _any_ ghost I've ever seen."

"And it _didn't_ look kind."

Harry let out a gusty sigh through his nose. "Look, Hermione, Ron, your right, we have no idea what that thing is, but can't you all hear the music too?"

His friends nodded, Hermione with a look of consternation on her face. Perhaps she was wondering if this was how Harry felt, hearing the basilisk their second year. Well, she wasn't far off, though the music was certainly better than hearing a 'great bloody snake' slithering through the pipes bitching about how hungry she was.

"Doesn't it call out to you?"

"Well yes but… think of all the cursed magical artifacts that could do the same thing! Besides, if there's something dangerous in the school the headmaster should -"

"Hermione, the professors can't even get rid of _Binns_, I doubt they could get rid of a more powerful or self-aware ghost if they wanted too," Ron interrupted.

"Right, and Dumbledore seems to think I'm evil or crazy like all the rest of him, and Ambridge is just going to make this whole situation worse. _And_ we won't have a room to practice in. So you both can stay here, but I'm going."

He turned on his heel and started to speed walk towards the room of requirement. He could practically hear the hesitation rolling off Hermione in waves. In a moment though, they were both at his side.

Part of his heart twisted at this. It was almost like old times, when things were easier than breathing between them. There was dangers to face, and they would face them together.

0

Harry stopped in front of the door, heart pounding as he reached out to open it. Hermione and Ron stood next to him, at turns curious and nervous to see the white room. The moment he opened the door, the music stopped and they all saw the airy, high ceilinged place. The piano stood forlornly in its corner and the mirror with the ghost inside appeared empty. So did the rest of the room as a matter of fact.

"This is the place? It feels…" Hermione wandered off to his left to touch the piano, and Ron continued after she trailed off. "It feels weird."

"Not weird exactly, but very different from how these rooms usually feel. Almost like how my mom and I felt after meditating in yoga classes last summer."

Ron looked baffled, but Harry nodded. The room did feel very … Zen.

"What's yoga, exactly?"

Hermione hid a found smile from him, for once not quite up to explaining. "I'll tell you after we get back to the common room if you still want to know. Harry closed the door, suddenly paranoid at being found out, and moved across the floor to gaze out of the tall arched windows. The seaside city was still there, and for the first time he noticed how close the horizon was. The city, huge as it was, seemed very round. Almost as if….

"Everything just… _ends_ after a bit," Hermione stated. "Maybe the Room of Requirement has size limits?"

Harry nodded. "Must be. Because when we have windows they usually keep up the illusion better than this. All of those buildings out there must be really there.

He grinned suddenly and looked towards the other door in the room, the one that didn't lead back into Hogwarts. "Whose up for exploring?"

Before Hermione could worry at all the magical traps that could possibly be hidden in a place so large, or Harry could debate his way into exploring anyway (who knew _what_ kind of rare or secret books or artifacts they might find? That would get Hermione raring to go right along with him), they heard voiced coming from outside the door.

"There are _people_ here? Hermione squeaked.

Harry suddenly had a rather bad feeling about this. He slid back toward the Room of Requirements door, only to find it gone, and slow to form.

It didn't look like they'd be getting out of the white room without being discovered first.

**AN: **

**Wow, what an overwhelming response! I suppose I will continue then. I hope you like this next chapter, and don't mind terribly that I'm slow to the action**. **So! Which person in the order do you want to stumble upon them? Komui and Reever? Bak? Cross? Levier and Link? Allen and Lavi? Kanda? Krory? Give me your input because I could easily spin something out of any character you suggest.**


	3. Chapter 3

Ghosts

"I'm telling you Lavi, there was another door in the room and I _saw_ someone."

"Allen, we've been all over the room, even with Komui using that weird machine under his hat – we never found anything. I think it was your injuries making you see things."

Allen gave Lavi a flat disbelieving look while Lavi privately though their many recent encounters with the Noah were making Allen just a little bit paranoid. However, all speculation about hallucinations were cut short when they opened the door and saw not one, but three teenagers giving them wide eyed looks of horror from the corner.

"You!" Allen exclaimed, pointing. He sounded more shocked than angry or triumphant. Maybe he'd been half convinced he was hallucinating too. Sleep deprivation could do that to a body (Lavi knew _that_ from experience).

"Bloody hell," said the redhead in a strangled voice. He muttered something derisive under his breath as he continued to stare, while the one in the glasses – the one Allen was pointing at – looked vaguely suspicious and guilty. Like a kid about to be scolded by a teacher.

All three of them were pointing highly polished and shaped sticks at them in an either threatening of defensive stance.

_Interesting._

A switch flipped in Lavi's head and he was suddenly in information gathering mode. Allen's eye hadn't activated so they could at least be sure that they weren't AKUMA. However they could still be members of the Noah clan. That seemed unlikely though, given that the Ark was under Allen's control. And no matter what the idiots at central though Allen would never betray them. Lavi didn't even think he was capable of doing so unintentionally.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the one with the glasses (is that a lightning shaped scar? Is he cursed as well then? Pre-skin wearing AKUMA sure do have a sense for the dramatic don't they) demanded.

"Us?" Allen sounded incredulous.

"Y-yes!" the bushy haired girl piped up suddenly, rather fierce. "How did you get into Hogwarts?"

Lavi laughed gleefully and rubbed his hand together. Oh this was going to be interesting. "I think we should be the ones asking you what _you're_ doing in the Ark."

The girl blinked at him. "As in _Noah_'s Ark? Well, I suppose you could mean Ark as in a vessel or sanctuary that serves as protection against extinction, but this looks more like a small city than any vessel I've ever seen."

"Not the time for speculation, Hermione!" the black haired one hissed.

The girl startled out of her thoughtful pose and raised her stick once more.

"I think they're muggles," the redhead whispered, having been the only one to notice that neither Lavi nor Allen had reacted with more than consternation at their sticks.

"I don't know about the beansprout over there, but I can hear everything your saying," Lavi said with a grin. He wasn't particularly worried.

"Muggles?" Allen wasn't sure if he should be insulted.

0

_Where is the bloody door?_ Harry continued trying to call it forth, but the room was being stubborn. At the moment he was almost wishing something had prevented them from entering the room, even Umbridge, or Ron's infallible stomach.

He kept his eyes locked on the two taller boys still standing in the door and blinked in confusion when the redhead pulled a hammer from a holster on his leg (who keeps a hammer in a holster?) and pointed it at them. He jumped back when it suddenly grew to an enormous size and the red head proceeded to poke all of them with the cross on it top.

"Don't think they're Noah Clan, Allen," he said, not sounding more than half serious. Harry couldn't tell. The massive hammer ("How is he holding that up?" Hermione hissed. "Magic?" Ron replied) was blocking his view.

It was then that the room of requirement finally decided to stop screwing them over. The door opened and the trio fell backwards through it. Hermione immediately sprung up and slammed the door closed. They heard a startled shout from inside before the door faded from view and left them alone, sitting in the hallway.

"I'm going to the library!" Hermione announced suddenly, causing Harry and Ron to jolt.

"Why?" Harry asked, knowing that someone had to.

"Because _that_ was definitely not normal! Harry, I want you to promise me that you won't go back into the room if you see that ghost again, at least not without Ron or myself. I need to look into what they meant by the _Noah_ clan. And the Ark. The way they said it makes me think it's not of the biblical sort."

"They could be occultists," Harry offered.

Ron looked lost. "But wouldn't we qualify as occultists here?"

Hermione and Harry looked at him.

"What? You didn't think we wizards knew nothing about the bible, did you? Our version might be a little different though. Bet the muggle version doesn't name the specific breed of Dragon and stuff."

"Is there a spell that lets you walk on water?" Hermione asked, getting off the subject at hand.

"Well no, it wouldn't work. I guess you could hover over it or something with the right kind of flying spell, but it would take a lot of energy."

"_Anyway_," Harry said. "If you forgot Hermione, I'll be going home with Ron and the Weasely's this Christmas. Weren't you coming to Grimmuald Place for Boxing Day too?"

"Oh that's right… I'd better hurry and ask Madam Pince if I can borrow library books over the summer!"

And with that their bushy haired friend ran off.

0

"Hogwarts?"

"That's what one of them said. I don't think they knew they were in the Ark, Supervisor."

Komui frowned over his cup of coffee, thinking. "You said they sounded British, Allen?"

Allen nodded while Lavi told of the few other bit of information he'd gathered. "They also called us muggles and were wearing odd school uniforms."

Lavi sketched out a quick crest with the word 'Griffendor' printed above it and handed it over to Komui.

"So, all we know is that they're students in a school not unfamiliar with magic, possibly called Hogwarts presumably somewhere in the British Isles."

Komui stood up and pulled down a map. He studied it for several minutes before turning back to the two exorcist's in front of him. "Lavi, if you could find Bookman, I'd like to ask him some questions. I might be sending you and one or two other out to investigate this. If there is a type of Innocence that allows people into the Ark, or even just a glitch, we need to know as soon as possible.

**AN: **

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! As for the typos (my keyboard seems to hate me) I'll try to have those fixed soon. So, it seems that Allen was almost unanimously desired to find the golden trio, but a few of you (if I include myself) wanted Cross or Komui to discover them! So, I've come up with a bit of a compromise. As for the bible bit… I had no idea how to address it, so I simply made it known to wizards and muggles alike. Mostly to make it easier on myself. i haven't read much of the bible personally so I couldn't very well have other who were probably even less familiar constantly explaining it to Ron. **

**Next Chapter! Cross, Dumbledore and Umbridge all in one room. How will that work? **


	4. Interlude

**Sorry for the delay everyone, I was busy working on my original novel (which is admittedly of higher quality than this seeing as I have time to edit, among other things). Anyway, On to the chapter! **

Ghosts

Interlude

Dolores Jane Umbridge was not happy, oh not she was not happy at all! Just as the term ended and all the nasty little brats she'd been sent to straighten out had been bundled on their train, she'd been summoned to the so called head master's office. Inside there was the delightfully strict potions master (who utterly refused to humor her. Perhaps those remarks on the defense position had not helped her win his favor) and the seditious old idiot who had the nerve back a clearly delusional glory hound!

It took her several moments to spot a tall broad shouldered man standing off to the side. He had a mess of long red hair, a bit of a beard and wore half-moon glasses and half a mask. He also had the audacity to be smoking. And _smirking_ rather evilly at her. Then she noticed the golden rose cross pinned to the left side on his long coat, and felt as if all her internal organs had been splinched.

"Dolores," Dumbledore said kindly, with a damnable twinkle in his eyes. "I would like to introduce you to General Marian Cross of the Black Order."

It took considerable effort for her to smile sweetly rather than sneer. "And _what_ exactly are they doing, interfering _here_?"

And now, of all times.

The Ministry was, of course aware of the Black Order. How could they not be, when that damnable organization was attracted to the unusual like flies to a carcass? It made sense that the magical world would draw their attention. In fact, the ministry had lost several very promising young students to the dictatorial heads of the association. It was a bloody shame to the magical community that their most promising and loyal students were so often drawn into such a shadowy place.

Despite the ministry, and a few older and more powerful witches and wizards knowing about the order, and the order knowing all about them, there had been very, very few run ins between the two.

Now though, it seemed like the good for nothing witch hunters were sticking their noses exactly where they didn't belong.

The redhead in the corner barked a laugh. "We're here to investigate the Innocence."

"You've made that _quite_ clear already _General_ Cross. Now that Ms. Umbridge is here would you kindly _pull your head_ out of –"

"I believe that Severus is asking if you might give us a bit more information about what you're looking for, now that we're all here."

Snape sneered, and Dumbledore continued to twinkle in the redhead's General direction. Cross had yet to lose his smirk.

_January_

Allen Walker stepped off the Hogwarts Express and looked up at the castle looming in the distance with awe. It was a good deal larger than the new Black Order (if one excluded the underground portion) and reminded him greatly of a less eerie version of Krory's former home. Said Transylvanian was close behind him along with Lavi and Lenalee.

"Wow. That place must be ancient," Lavi said with a whistle.

"It's kind of beautiful too," Lenalee said.

Allen really, _really_ hoped he wouldn't get lost inside of it. Ancient things tended to be complicated. Ancient things also tended to have a _lot_ of potential hiding places. And he still had a terrible sense of direction.

Later he would remember Hogwarts as the 'evil' castle with the moving staircase, much to Lavi's amusement.

"You must be happy to finally be around people with your accent, eh, Moyashi?"

Allen's eyebrow twitched. "Come on Lenalee, Krory, lets head up to the castle."

"Hey don't leave me!"

The group wandered up through the streets of the village they'd arrived in, looking for the carriages. They didn't make it far however, before a man came out of a bar called the 'Hogshead', and started staring at them. Rather uncomfortable, Allen crossed to the other side of the road with his friends. The man, an elderly sort who seemed less prone to smiling than Kanda, crossed after him.

"Are you Allen Walker?"

Allen blinked, then nodded, ignoring when Lavi put his hands on his shoulders and leaned on him to peer at the man over his head. He was really hoping for another growth spurt soon.

"Here," he said gruffly, shoving a packet of papers into his hand. "This's yer bill. Damages included."

With a sinking feeling, Allen opened the packet, and looked at the total.

"Five hundred Galleons, thirty-two sickles and a knut? What?" It didn't look or sound like any kind of money he'd ever heard of.

"Muggleborn, are ye? Pounds are on the back."

Allen looked at the number and promptly got that nauseated feeling in his stomach that signified an impending loss of consciousness.

Lavi snatched the packet out of the air when Allen hit the snow covered cobbles and let loose another low whistle. "Cross is just one big black hole where money is concerned."

Lenalee pulled a packet of smelling salts she kept in her uniform for just such an occasion and kneeled in front of Allen. Krory leaned over Lavi's shoulder to get a peek and went pale.

"Oh my."


End file.
